If you surveyed sales professionals and asked them if they would rather be viewed by their customers as a sales rep. or strategic advisor, the answer would not surprise you. The question then is what does it take to become a strategic advisor? In order to reach this status, you as the sales professional need to stop merely selling and start helping your customers. This may seem for many sales professionals like blasphemy. A common response may sound something like this; “Aren’t I trained and paid to sell?” Yes, but if you focus only on selling you will continue to be commoditized by your customers. Instead, by helping and educating your customers you can become a strategic advisor and true resource for them. This is also a great way to differentiate yourself from your competition. Companies have many sales people trying to sell them their product or service but have very few who are providing what they really need, answers and solutions. As author and speaker Scott Ginsberg states “The reality is, customers don’t need more service-they need more answers.”
Those in the sales profession understand that they are really in the service profession. Serving is more than just resolving issues that arise. You serve your customers by providing them with answers as well as educating them. How different might your sales results be if you viewed your customers not as a means to pay your salary but as pupils who attend your class? How much time do you put into lesson planning? Do you show up every day ready to teach? Sales representatives mainly have transactional relationships with their customers whereas strategic advisors are able to gain entrance to higher levels within the customer’s organization. As a result, they are able to understand their customer’s objectives and goals and are able to offer answers and solution that will help their customers meet these objectives.
The question then is what does helping my customer really look like in an everyday situation? Here are a few seemingly simple but impactful ways you can provide help:
1. Listening
o How hard do you work at listening?
o Are you truly present when you are in front of your customers?
2. Industry Research
o Do you spend time understand both their business and industry?
o Do you know what challenges they are currently facing?
o What makes customers choose them over their competition?
3. Continually bring ideas
o Are you introducing your customers to new things on a regular basis?
o How often do you send your customers articles or information on ideas
or products that they may be interested in?
Today more than ever customers are looking for value and that value often comes in the form of help. So the question is, are you spending more time selling to your customers or helping them?
Those in the sales profession understand that they are really in the service profession. Serving is more than just resolving issues that arise. You serve your customers by providing them with answers as well as educating them. How different might your sales results be if you viewed your customers not as a means to pay your salary but as pupils who attend your class? How much time do you put into lesson planning? Do you show up every day ready to teach? Sales representatives mainly have transactional relationships with their customers whereas strategic advisors are able to gain entrance to higher levels within the customer’s organization. As a result, they are able to understand their customer’s objectives and goals and are able to offer answers and solution that will help their customers meet these objectives.
The question then is what does helping my customer really look like in an everyday situation? Here are a few seemingly simple but impactful ways you can provide help:
1. Listening
o How hard do you work at listening?
o Are you truly present when you are in front of your customers?
2. Industry Research
o Do you spend time understand both their business and industry?
o Do you know what challenges they are currently facing?
o What makes customers choose them over their competition?
3. Continually bring ideas
o Are you introducing your customers to new things on a regular basis?
o How often do you send your customers articles or information on ideas
or products that they may be interested in?
Today more than ever customers are looking for value and that value often comes in the form of help. So the question is, are you spending more time selling to your customers or helping them?
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